‘Growing own vegetables is satisfying and invigorating’

NAGPUR: It may be fashionable to buy organic food or develop small clusters of plants around the house in the chatty circles of society. But Hemant Singh Chauhan understands the seriousness and urgency for this activity. “In 1995, when I was working in tribal areas I could make out the difference between tribal children and those living in the city,” says Chauhan, an agriculture supervisor and master trainer for organic farming in department of agriculture.
“A large number of urban kids wear spectacles and have less physical strength as compared to their tribal counterparts,” he told TOI while discussing the decreasing levels of resistance for diseases in people today, which he says is a direct outcome of consuming pesticide laden food items. Now, taking out time from his job, he is educating lay persons in skills for terrace gardening the organic way which he feels paves the way for good health.
Excerpts from an interview…
Q. How easy is terrace gardening?
A. Very easy. All that is required is soil, pots (even discarded junk like buckets, trays and vessels can be used) and a source of water. A sack full of manure which is easily available is all that is needed for cultivating 8 to 9 varieties of vegetables.
Q. What are the ideal conditions for creating a personal garden space?
A. Ideal conditions are on the ground floor when saplings or seeds are planted in the earth. The next is terrace where plants get plenty of air and sunshine. But, if neither is available, then even balconies are good for growing various plants, with a few restrictions though. Shade loving plants or those which require sunshine for just a few hours can be planted in balconies.
Q. The common notion is that lots of space is required for making a garden?
A. Space is no issue. Plants can be grown in bucket-size pots. At a time two vegetables can be planted in one pot. Like sowing cucumber and cowpeas together can be done. One is a creeper so it will rise. Other is a plant which will get the space to spread and breathe. One provides salad and the other is cooked as a vegetable. So, by using just four pots we can have eight vegetables grown in suitable combinations.
Q. What’s the best part of having one’s own garden?
A. It is very satisfying and invigorating. You sow something, it grows and you consume it. The best part is that it is all done naturally without pesticides. Most importantly it creates an awareness about food, agriculture and soil. We live far away from farms. This process educates us about how food is grown.
Q. What would you tell the beginners?
A. I would say start with learning about the soil and how to prepare it with manure, which is made of fresh cow dung, cow’s urine, vermicompost or jeevamrut (made by mixing cow dung, jaggery, gram flour, cow’s urine and water with a handful of soil). Start with vegetables like spinach, coriander, fenugreek which grow in a month if you want fast results. Then go on to plant radish and carrot which taken around 1 ½ month to grow. Once the process is understood plant vegetables that take three months to grow.
Q. What makes organic farming healthy?
A. It is chemical free. We are killing mother earth with chemicals which are sprayed on plants to keep away pests and insects. These are harming us too. We have to save earth if we want to save ourselves. Farming has its own ecological system. We need to implement it through zero budget growth techniques were plants that support each other and survive in contrasting conditions are sowed together. This will reduce dependency on one crop and help those who do large scale farming.
Q. Can growing vegetables or fruits for personal consumption can be a move towards self sufficiency?
A. 100% self sufficiency can’t be had as we will still need to buy grains. But yes growing for personal consumption can protect us from frequent rise in vegetable prices. If majority of us grow amounts sufficient for our needs then it will ease the pressure on supplies and keep the prices low.
Q. Protecting the plants from insects is an issue for those wanting to take up organic farming in their personal gardens.
A. A short training course can equip anybody with simple techniques of gardening. Rest can be learnt by experience. Natural pesticides can be made at home from items available at home. A natural insect repellent can be made by mixing one kilogram of neem powder with ten litres of water. Keep it overnight and mix some soap nut powder in it. Spraying this on the plants will keep them disease free. To kill fungus on plants a spray of sour buttermilk is enough. If more flowering is desired then the plants can be sprayed with milk mixed with cow’s urine.
Q. What plants are best suited for terrace or home gardens?
A. Best plants are bottle gourd, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, tomato, brinjal, chillies, capsicum, okhra, cluster beans. Growing exotic vegetables would require creating a controlled environment with fans, humidifiers or water sprinklers. Plants on terrace gardens need to be constantly pruned and kept stunted. Initially it is advisable to do it under trained supervision. But once this knowledge is gained it would last life long.